What triggers desertification in India
A low down on the most important causes behind desertification in every state of the country. Addressing these will be critical to meet targets for Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030

As the 14th conference of parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) comes to an end, Down to Earth highlights the triggers for desertification in every state of the country. State governments should focus their action towards the key triggers. Addressing these will be critical for the country to meet the targets under Land Degradation Neutrality 2030. According to a statement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the event, India will increase its target from 21 million hectares to 26 million hectares to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030.


 


Jharkhand

68.98 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Wind erosion, Vegetation degradation, Man-made

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification54,98,72654,18,6571.48
Wind erosion40,36,78540,37,261-0.01
Vegetation degradation13,79,03813,07,1625.50
Man-made52,73449,7306.04
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Rajasthan

62.90 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Wind erosion, Vegetation degradation, Water erosion

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification2,15,26,5122,16,25,604-0.46
Wind erosion 1,51,97,8741,53,32,054-0.88
Vegetation degradation26,06,22125,96,0030.39
Water erosion 21,16,31421,16,0820.01
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Delhi

60.60 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Settlement , Vegetation degradation, Water logging

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification89,86873,51422.25
Settlement 79,54163,18725.88
Vegetation degradation9,9809,9800.00
Water logging 3473470.00
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Gujarat

52.29 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Water erosion, Salinity , Vegetation degradation

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification1,02,61,6411,00,77,4551.83
Water erosion38,59,49737,88,0991.88
Salinity 26,45,40526,43,8280.06
Vegetation degradation23,19,82622,55,4172.86
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Goa

52.13 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Water erosion, Water logging

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification1,92,9731,86,4583.49
Vegetation degradation1,38,1721,32,3014.44
Water erosion33,88933,892-0.01
Water logging 9,0059,0030.02
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Nagaland

47.45 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Settlement

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification7,86,6786,42,30422.48
Vegetation degradation7,78,4216,37,95722.02
Settlement 8,2574,34789.95
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Maharashtra

44.93 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Water erosion, Vegetation degradation, Barren/ rocky

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification1,38,25,9351,33,48,6043.58
Water erosion 80,60,75376,22,8005.75
Vegetation degradation48,84,00548,90,778-0.14
Barren/ rocky 5,06,1635,09,789-0.71
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Himachal Pradesh

43.01 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Frost shattering, Water erosion

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification23,94,24021,41,36611.81
Vegetation degradation17,90,80315,82,93813.13
Frost shattering 3,32,4233,22,4173.10
Water erosion 2,68,2612,33,99014.65
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Tripura

41.69 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Water erosion, Settlement

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification4,37,1283,27,30233.55
Vegetation degradation1,86,9001,89,533-1.39
Water erosion 2,36,3741,25,05889.01
Settlement 13,85412,7118.99
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Karnataka

36.24 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Water erosion, Vegetation degradation, Salinity

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification69,51,00069,40,9430.14
Water erosion 50,43,04150,59,629-0.33
Vegetation degradation17,12,38617,04,5690.46
Salinity 86,74086,5820.18
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Jammu and Kashmir

35.86 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Frost shattering, Vegetation degradation, Wind erosion

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification79,69,60775,38,8145.71
Frost shattering 29,68,27927,50,2577.93
Vegetation degradation19,51,00019,07,1872.30
Wind erosion16,70,24416,50,5771.19
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Odisha

34.06 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Water erosion, Vegetation degradation, Man-made

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification53,04,11453,21,903-0.33
Water erosion 44,09,41344,42,556-0.75
Vegetation degradation7,45,1227,52,929-1.04
Man-made63,85151,44524.12
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Telangana

31.34 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Water erosion, Vegetation degradation, Settlement

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification35,98,85636,58,482-1.63
Water erosion 28,54,28529,51,871-3.31
Vegetation degradation5,41,1455,38,5330.49
Settlement 97,95169,59140.75
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Manipur

26.96 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Settlement, Water erosion

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification6,01,9595,93,0931.49
Vegetation degradation5,75,6035,74,7060.16
Settlement 13,2605,290150.66
Water erosion8,0708,0700.00
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Meghalaya

22.06 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Water erosion, Settlement

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification4948804788253.35
Vegetation degradation4355274146595.03
Water erosion5314954046-1.66
Settlement 465642399.84
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


West Bengal

19.54 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Water erosion, Vegetation degradation, Settlement

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification17,33,93116,82,1813.08
Water erosion 13,29,53912,99,5422.31
Vegetation degradation2,65,2772,64,3250.36
Settlement 1,06,38690,94116.98
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Chhattisgarh

16.36 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Water erosion, Man Made

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification22,11,15321,76,3881.60
Vegetation degradation13,48,08913,48,1220.00
Water erosion7,83,6457,70,3871.72
Man Made40,54131,97226.80
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓
Andhra Pradesh

14.35% of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Water erosion, Water logging

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification 22,98,75822,67,7281.37
Vegetation degradation11,64,25711,68,447-0.36
Water erosion7,89,4337,83,8300.71
Water logging1,32,3341,25,7555.23
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓
Madhya Pradesh

12.34 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Water erosion, Settlement

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification38,04,31537,71,8530.86
Vegetation degradation25,23,80125,14,9830.35
Water erosion 11,25,41811,20,2210.46
Settlement 96,35982,37916.97
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Uttarakhand

12.12 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Settlement, Frost shattering

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification6,48,2535,81,24111.53
Vegetation degradation6,06,6165,45,61011.18
Settlement 15,9089,90360.64
Frost shattering 13,78613,7860.00
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Tamil Nadu

11.87 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Settlement, Wind erosion

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification15,43,89815,16,6601.80
Vegetation degradation13,85,47813,68,3301.25
Settlement 97,22387,13311.58
Wind erosion 30,42930,4290.00
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Sikkim

11.10 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Frost shattering , Settlement

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification78,74978,4820.34
Vegetation degradation74,31874,2050.15
Frost shattering 3,7303,7300.00
Settlement 70054628.21
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Kerala

9.77 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Settlement , Water logging

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification3,79,5873,70,5122.45
Vegetation degradation3,37,6133,28,6382.73
Settlement 29,98428,9683.51
Water logging 11,98912,906-7.11
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Assam

9.14 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Water logging, Settlement

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification7,16,5965,72,21525.23
Vegetation degradation4,71,9583,22,54046.33
Water logging 1,86,6671,93,669-3.62
Settlement 26,54824,5837.99
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Mizoram

8.89 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Settlement, Water erosion

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification1,87,45395,87395.52
Vegetation degradation1,67,05081,854104.08
Settlement 12,2856,57586.84
Water erosion8,1197,4449.07
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Haryana

7.67 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Wind erosion, Settlement, Vegetation degradation

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification3,38,9643,14,5837.75
Wind erosion 1,51,7971,48,1512.46
Settlement 85,85570,79221.28
Vegetation degradation41,41140,5142.21
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Bihar

7.38 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Water erosion, Vegetation degradation, Water logging

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification6,94,8096,59,5395.35
Water erosion3,21,1753,04,3645.52
Vegetation degradation2,42,5252,55,073-4.92
Water logging 1,06,62878,45035.92
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓
Uttar Pradesh

6.35 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Water erosion, Vegetation degradation, Salinity

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification15,28,99718,35,263-16.69
Water erosion 5,86,9616,10,989-3.93
Vegetation degradation4,13,4764,14,176-0.17
Salinity 3,07,5716,36,202-51.66
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓


Punjab

2.87 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Settlement, Vegetation degradation, Water erosion

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification1,44,65393,11555.35
Settlement 96,33571,86134.06
Vegetation degradation32,56118,70574.08
Water erosion 14,1161,897644.12
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓
Arunachal Pradesh

1.3 % of the total area was under desertification in 2011-13

Top 3 causes of desertification:
Vegetation degradation, Frost shattering, Settlement

2011-132003-05% change
Total area under desertification 1,53,9331,36,68612.62
Vegetation degradation1,20,4991,07,84511.73
Frost shattering20,18619,0725.84
Settlement13,2479,76935.60
☞ Note: Area under desertification (in hectares)
Source: Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Desertification causes
(In % share of total area under desertification)↓

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Data source:

✸   Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India released in June 2016 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)